


Memories of a kingsmould

by Moofman



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Based on a rlly self indulgent theory lol, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 07:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23467411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moofman/pseuds/Moofman
Summary: A fic based on my interpretation of the Collector and who he might've been.
Relationships: The Pale King & The Collector (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Memories of a kingsmould

**Author's Note:**

> I write for fun, I don't consider myself good at it or anything, so I'm not asking for criticism. I hope you enjoy even a little! 
> 
> (None of this is in any way a theory.)
> 
> (English is not my native language,so pardon any grammatical or spelling errors orz)

When I erupted from the mould, the first thing I saw was a blinding light. I recoiled, fearful of the only thing that crippled the void, my home. I realized, at that moment, I formed my own thought for the first time in my life. The Void is a mass, it is not individual. This light,this _enemy_ , gave me my own thoughts, my own existence. 

It hurt. It ached. I felt the burn on the surface of my new body, as if I was being roasted alive. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the darkness, where there was no light, where there was no thought. Before I could even try, the light,my enemy, spoke to me.

"Stand up. I will not harm you."

_We're kinda past that, aren't we?_

I replied not,however. I clutched the rim of the mould, the coffin I sprang from like a reanimated corpse, my sight still averted to the ground.

"Look at me. You need to get used to this."

_No. No. I want to go back. I want the darkness. I want the silence. I want..._

"I know you're afraid. But you are here for a reason. I will give you a purpose. Look at me. My light cannot hurt you."

The voice...how could something so serene and yet so commanding and assuring come from something as painful as that white light? I didn't know why I trusted it,why I even let the thought occur to me. _It's the light. The light's the enemy._

_But this voice is not._

My legs shook, I still didn't know how to use them. I counted my appendages. _One, two, three, four, five,six._ Why did I know how to count? Why did I know I had to straighten my knees to stand up? Why did I know _anything?_

I paused.

At that moment, it hit me.

_For the same reason.. This light hasn't killed me yet._

"You're improving. You will be doing much more than just barely standing, though."

I turned my head just enough to give the light a look, albeit I was still squinting despite knowing it meant me no harm. Why was I so sure of that too, I wondered.

"Ah. You looked at me. Took you longer than the others."

I knew the theory on how to talk. I had a mouth, and everything else needed to make the action of speaking a reality. However, no words came to me. 

...No, they did come to me. I was just afraid of what I would sound like compared to the divine voice of the light.

I finally managed to straighten myself without holding onto the mould. I finally dared to look at the light,no, the _source of the light_ in its entirety.

The pain,I realized, was all in my head. 

"Welcome to being sentient. I am glad to see the pale energy in you fares well."

_Pale energy..? Is that the name of the power he used to give me this gift.._

"Come with me now. I have much to tell you."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Pale King is what they called him, but he never confirmed that to be his name. A member of the divine Wyrm race, known for their painful radiance. It was ironic that I, who was a void construct, was immune to this light due to the powers he used to make and shape me. 

What a cruel being he was. None of the kingsmoulds ever gave him permission to make us,nor did any of us particularly want it. And yet, we were drawn to him like moths to a graveyard. 

We, the kingsmoulds, only had two orders: protect the king. Protect the palace.

I wonder why, in spite of this, the Pale King insisted on having me accompany him for the most mundane tasks. 

I followed him through the palace halls. When I finally got past my fear of his ethereal glow, I realized his stature is no more that of a common bug. He was...of generous height. His body was limp, but elegant. One scarcely saw his wings, but they were a sight to behold when he stretched them out. He spoke briefly to his guards, and showed respect to his worshippers and never abused them. He was an odd creature, that pale Wyrm. I never understood him, or why he preferred my company.

Out of all the exchanges we had,the one from that day stayed in my mind forever, clear as if I had it yesterday.

The king was mostly silent that day. He spoke to me rather abruptly. 

"Would you do anything for me, my knight?"

That's what he called us. Knights. 

The Pale King was particularly interested in them. 

"Anything your mind can conjure, my lord." I replied,plain and simple.

"What would you do if I were to disappear right now?"

"I would follow you in death."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to me. I had to look down just to maintain eye contact. He was such a small thing, sometimes I thought he was as fragile as a cocoon. And yet,he made a grand kingdom like no other. His body was that of a bug,but his heart and soul were that of a god.

"I don't want you to do that," he said. "I want you to preserve this world, even when I'm gone."

Naturally,I was confused by what he said. _Where would you go?_

"Your majesty,I am but a common soldier. I wouldn't trust myself with your kingdom..."

The king let out a low hum. 

"I suppose a kingdom is to be inherited by my own kin, but.."

He stepped closer to me.

"..I want you to take care of this kingdom's inhabitants. Make sure they all get to continue living and existing safely. Make sure they're as eternal as Hallownest. That is my final order to you, my knight."

His voice was like the Resting grounds on a cold night; immesurably sad and lonely.

Despite how close I was to him, closer than any kingsmould, it still took me so long.

So many years, so long spent in confusion, thinking I misheard him, thinking he was testing me in some way.

_Wyrm can see the future. Wyrm have foresight._

_He knew what was coming._

I never knew. How could I? I was only a simple soldier.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I chill snaked down my back, icy as the winds on the surface. The armor fell off of me like petals off a dry flower. 

_My king..My king...My king!_

_Where have you gone! What is the point...if I can't save you too!?_

_His kin..He had many kin..I need one! I need to keep it safe!_

_I need to fulfill my order!!_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The burn of the nail felt familiar. Scorching, like an eternal light. Like the light from that day. 

It was painful. It was nostalgic.

My mind had become clouded by madness and time. Watching the kingdom crumble, watching everyone get infected one by one.. Save them he said! Save who? Save what? Those infected things? No, they're not what used to live when my king was still here. But I was ordered! Eternal! Hallownest and everyone in it was supposed to be _eternal!_

But then I saw _them._ That tiny thing, smaller than most of the things I've saved. I could tell at first glance. They were one of his.

The same pale glow. The same endlessly deep eyes.. There was no other that could compare.

I would've loved to have kept them,but I was unworthy. My mind was broken and unpure. But as I stood there and melted, I was so relieved and happy,possibly happier than I ever was from the moment I came out of that mould of his. 

A part of him, a _big_ part of him, is still in the world. Living eternally. All I could do was laugh. Laugh and laugh and laugh until I had nothing to laugh with. 

_My love! My love! Protected at last!_


End file.
